The US has launched a large scale military operation inside Venezuela, including in the capital, Caracas.
Multiple civilian and military sites have been struck since 2am local time and president Nicolas Maduro has declared a national emergency in response.
Follow our live coverage of the US strikes on Venezuela here
While details remain thin on the ground, this comes after a four-month-long US military pressure campaign against the South American country.
In recent months, US forces have carried out multiple fatal strikes targeting boats in Venezuelan waters following claims they were carrying drugs linked to gangs.
In September, a strike against a Venezuelan gang in the Caribbean left 11 people dead in international waters, prompting questions about the legality of the attack.
Sources told CNN that UK officials believe the September strike, and others, violated international law after having killed 76 people so far.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk went one step further – calling them ‘extrajudicial killing’.
How much of the US drug supply actually comes through 'narco boats'?
Part of the reason Trump has been striking ‘narco boats’ in the Caribbean is that he claims a lot of the drugs in America are trafficked from Venezuelan gangs.
But a 2020 report from the US Drug Enforcement Administration found that just 8% of the country’s cocaine came by boat through the Caribbean.
Part of the reason Trump has been striking ‘narco boats’ in the Caribbean is that he claims a lot of the drugs in America are trafficked from Venezuelan gangs.
But a 2020 report from the US Drug Enforcement Administration found that just 8% of the country’s cocaine came by boat through the Caribbean.Most of the air defences in the country are Russian-made, which do work, but are no match for modern American weapons.
But the power of US weapons stretches far beyond aircraft carriers, soldiers and ships. It also includes five military and naval bases in the Caribbean, allowing easy access to the region.
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